Recently Read: Mary Magdalene: Princess of Orange

I've finished reading Mary Magdalene: Princess of Orange by Ralph Ellis. It was an interesting read. The first half of the book dealt with the Mary Magdalene/Orange mythos, and the second half was pretty much a polemical about various things, including Islam and environmentalism.

I'll focus on the first half of the book as that's what's relevant here. The main points of interest were;

• Mary Magdalene was a descendant of the Egyptian Ptolemaic line - the line that also produced Cleopatra
• One of these Ptolemaic ancestors went by the name Thea Muse Ourania - Ourania meaning golden among other things
• That after arriving in France, Mary Magdalene lived in/founded the French town of Orange
• That the House of Orange derives its name from both this town and its links to Mary
• That Orantes (statues or images of people with their arms outstretched in prayer) were symbolic of Mary
• That Oranges, Gold and Red/Blond Hair all became symbolic of Mary Magdalene and her family line
• That some fairy tales, most notably the story of Rapunzel, are covert references to the story of Mary Magdalene
• That the orbs that kings and rulers are often portrayed holding are symbolic of oranges (and also the Earth over which they rule)
• That Mary Magdalene was often portrayed in art covered/clothed in her long hair
• That the Reformation and subsequent Enlightenment in part stemmed from this Orange/Magdalene under-culture

Ellis also points out that the name Caesar comes from the Latin word caesaries meaning hair. Obviously lots of this is relevant to red hair. Interestingly, it also provides a link between the red hair of Reformation Europe and the red hair of ancient times. Well worth reading.